• An online session on the topic ‘Gender Responsive Drought Resilience’, by guest speaker Dr.Anushya Jagannathan, a research scientist, who elucidated sustainable practices.
• A flower garden was set up inside WIA’s premises at R.A.Puram, by the President and members. 
• Yellow cloth bags were distributed to the public at T.Nagar with the insistence to replace plastic bags.
• An online essay competition was conducted and cash awards were given to Keerthana, Mishra, Esther Monica and Shanmuga Priya.
• 500 people participated in a signature campaign and pledged to not use any kind of plastic. The signatures will be handed over to the Minister for Environment, Tamil Nadu with a request to stop the plastic production.
• A 2 km walkathon was organised highlighting the theme ‘Our Land Our Future’.
• A human chain was formed, at Adyar, to create awareness of plastics and zero landfills.
• A seminar was conducted with the theme ‘The need to protect our land’.
• A seminar was conducted at MGR Home and Hr.Sec School, for 60  teachers and B.Ed teacher trainees. Dr.Sudhakar – Director of CPR Environmental Education Centre explained about the state of our environment and key issues like environmental degradation, depletion of resources etc. 
• A waste collection drive was arranged along with ROKA (Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association) to collect e-waste, plastic, paper and clothes. Approximately 360 kg of waste was collected.

On the concluding day (June 8), nearly 104 women participated in the event, where four women who were committed to keeping the land clean and green, were honoured. Dr.Muthukumar – Programme Officer (Department of Environment and Climate Change), was the chief guest. He insisted all to grow plants to improve biodiversity and reduce temperatures.

President Padma Venkataraman honoured the green warriors of Chennai and also insisted that everyone focus on the micro change that everyone can bring in to save the Earth – from saying no to plastics and aiming for zero landfills. WIA can be contacted at 91769 28485, 94442 51013.

During the event, the awardees shared their best practices, highlighting their dedication and innovative approaches to waste management and environmental conservation. The awardees are:

• Mr. Kuppan (Zone 11) spoke about his consistent practice of segregating waste and home composting, along with the advantages of maintaining a terrace garden for sustainable living.

“These shared practices not only celebrated the residents’ achievements but also inspired others to adopt similar eco-friendly practices in their daily lives. This initiative aligns with Urbaser Sumeet’s mission to foster a cleaner, greener Chennai and underscores the importance of community participation in achieving this goal,” said Urbaser Sumeet. Urbaser Sumeet’s senior management, including the CEO, attended the event.

Vanaja Krishnamurthy is a resident of Besant Nagar. Her services have been in an individual capacity, through Rotary International Dist 3232 and the Women’s India Association, of which she is a member.Urbaser Sumeet honours Green Ambassadors

The award was given by the renowned music artist, Ghanshyam Vaswani. Skanda is a Class 10 student of The Hindu Senior Secondary School, Indira Nagar. C.Kala (Coordinating teacher of this competition) and Lakshmi Arulaalan (Principal of the school) also received award trophies and citations as part of the participating / winning school.

Conducted as part of the ‘We Segregate’ project funded by TCI (The Circulate Initiative) through an IIT incubated research company called Okapi Research and Advisory Pvt Ltd, the activities started with a bang – a cricket match on Mar.10. Residents – young and old, men, women and children, huddled on the Sunday morning to hit the ball beyond the boundary. Pre-event activities, which included a waste audit bingo and a crossword puzzle, helped propagate the theme of SWM. For the cricket match, the participants were divided into 3 teams – in line with the 3 colours of segregation. “This activity provided a great opportunity to discuss waste segregation,” explained Janani Venkitesh, Secretary of ROKA. M.D.Pradeep, inspector of Police (Crime Branch – Pazhavanthangal Police Station) iterated on the importance of sports in everyone’s life as much as the need to conserve the environment.

In the next, a residents’ meet was organised where nearly 50 residents brainstormed ideas to sustain the project. The session also included presentations, fun games, an online quiz, experience sharing, etc. “It was music to the ears when a resident Ms.Srimathi said home composting was therapeutic. Other residents like Ms.Raji came up with fabulous ideas to sustain segregation at the apartment level. It was a heartening experience for all of us,” said P.Saranya, Treasurer of ROKA.

The winners from the competitions were presented with gift vouchers from a sustainability store, Pracheen Vidhaan. The winning cricket team was felicitated with medals made from coconut shells. “This was yet another step to demonstrate sustainability, thanks to Arjun from Crazy Coconut who came up with this idea and made it possible,” said Saranya. At both events, healthy snacks (Buttermilk and traditional rice laddoo; Sundal and coconut water) were provided in reusable cutlery.

ROKA, with support from OKAPI, has installed three lane composters in Kasturba Nagar, as part of the ‘We Segregate’ project. The composters, launched in October 2023, were built with a capacity to compost 750 kgs of wet waste each. In February and March 2024, the community reaped the benefit of the composters as they harvested the compost, which was distributed to the residents of Kasturba Nagar. In addition, soft plastics are collected as part of the project in the Punch the Plastic Hooks (PTP hooks), a design by the students of the IIT-M.

ROKA can be contacted at 97911 03797; Crazy Coconut can be contacted at 88385 44494; Pracheen Vidhan www.praacheenvidhaan.com.

Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association (ROKA) conducted their 8th edition of the waste collection drive on Jan.6 and 7 at the Kasturba Nagar Residents Association Hall and Chennai High School, Kamaraj Avenue, Adyar.

Like the earlier edition, this edition too showcased new ideas for sustainability at the venues. “Apart from collecting waste, ROKA feels that we also must showcase alternatives so people are aware of them and contribute to reducing plastics,” said Janani Venkitesh, Secretary of ROKA, as she introduced the refill truck concept, thrift store and ‘Nilayaan’ a sustainability solutions provider for kitchenware and composting.

ROKA partnered with Wasted 360 Solutions, Recycle Mart and Bisleri for the drive and collected clothes (including undergarments), e-waste, pens, empty tablet strips, X-rays, footwear, mattresses & pillows, toys and books, bags, glassware, hard and soft plastics and pictures of deities. Wasted 360’s refill truck was a unique concept that offered handwash, detergent, floor cleaner and dishwashing soaps to interested people, with a catch that they bring their own bottles. “The basic concept is to reduce plastics. These liquid soaps always come in plastic containers, thus with the refill truck, we are giving an option to people to bring their own container and refill the soaps,” explained Janani.

The thrift store displayed many fabulous dresses apart from books and toys. While the book genres ranged from fiction to children to management, toys included Mindbender games, puzzles and collectables like the Quidditch ball from the Harry Potter series.

Nilayaan too gave an overview of the available sustainable kitchenware – cutlery, bowls, glasses, toothbrushes and flasks. “Coconut shells are not biodegradable. Due to their enhanced shelf-life, they can make amazing bowls and glasses,” explained Deepesh as he also showed a variety of composters – for apartments and homes, apart from another specifically for pooja flowers.

The two-day drive was packed with not only individuals bringing in their waste but also institutions that gave away products – a catering company gave away more than a hundred porcelain plates and saucers, a boutique gave away clothes and a hotel gave away cartons of glass bottles. Other items that came in were: iron tables, CRT TVs, washing machine drums, bestseller books including the Asterix and Oblix series and Tintin series etc. 

Some of the residence communities, like CeeDeeYes Velachery, Karpagam Gardens and Nawab Gardens collected waste in their locality and sent it through logistics providers. The event saw a footfall of more than 400 people and collected around 10 tonnes of waste. 

At the event, representatives from Bisleri also recognised ROKA members for their efforts in the ‘Punch the Plastic’ initiative. ROKA has partnered with Okapi Research and Advisory (an IIT Madras incubated company) and Bisleri to collect single-use plastic and multi-layer plastic (MLP), from residents of Kasturba Nagar, for recycling. The initiative was started on Oct 11 and till December mid, the neighbourhood collected 21 kgs of plastic. 

ROKA thanked all the participants, the Corporation and the volunteers from Loyola College’s MSW department, for their support.

Participating a the event, Dr J Radhakrishnan, IAS, Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), stated that such drives are the need of the hour, “However it is a collective responsibility of all residents to ensure that garbage and plastic waste is not dumped on roadside or water bodies as it ends up at city’s beaches,” he said. 

He added that beaches are habitats of olive ridley turtles; fishermen lose their livelihood as plastic gets stuck in fishing nets, “Let’s all work together and make the city a clean place.”

Also in attendance were Urbaser Sumeet’s CEO, Mahmood Sait, Projects Heads (II & V), Zonal officials and heads of departments. Volunteers from Vivekananda College, Ramakrishna Mission College of Arts and Science, and AM Jain College of Arts and Science, along with the Rotaract Clubs, actively participated in the cleanup. 

The collected waste, particularly plastic bottles and bags, was dispatched to recycling units, according to a statement from Urbaser Sumeet. For more information, contact V.R Hari Balaji (Urbaser Sumeet) at 89255 22001.

This inspiring event is designed to foster creativity among Chennai’s youth, while imparting vital lessons on environmental consciousness through art and poetry. It was conducted in multiple schools in the city. Nearly 60 students from Chennai Corporation Primary and Higher Secondary School, Bharathidasan Street, Thiruvanmiyur participated, representing Zone 13. 

“Our collective goal is to educate the younger minds and upcoming generations regarding responsible Solid Waste Management; hence, our team has carefully curated this initiative not only highlighting the talents of students of Chennai Schools but also underscoring the collaborative spirit of Urbaser Sumeet and the Greater Chennai Corporation in nurturing these future generations to be environmentally responsible citizens,” said a statement from Urbaser Sumeet.

Two gaily painted tiltable bins were stationed in the school in an event on Oct.21, which was attended by distinguished Rotarians, the school Principal, parents, students and corporation officials.

At the event, students were requested to bring waste and were given guidance on how to segregate waste in the different bins. The students also painted the school’s compound walls with murals advocating for a cleaner and greener environment. 

The venue also featured a ‘Happy Earth Selfie Booth’, which was the cynosure of all eyes. Attractive plant holders that were created from broken and discarded benches were showcased. A street-play by the students on the topic was the highlight of the day. 

A press release from the school stated, “This Streetscape initiative is an activity in progress, as we ‘Give a Clean Sweep To The Pretty Streets’. It turned out to be a happy occasion, setting an example of school and neighbourhood partnership to create a positive green impact in our society!”

It was a fulfilling engagement ceremony for M.A.Ramya and Bharatram. They pledged their support not only for each other, but also for the environment – with a near zero-waste ceremony.

Steel tumblers replaced water bottles and paper tea cups, no paper cups or tissue papers, and unbleached cotton bags for thamboolam, were some of the small changes that parent couple Dr.K.R.Hema and Dr.Thirunarayan, from Kasturba Nagar, incorporated.

Packaged drinking water has evolved as a symbol of eliteness, cleanliness and convenience. “But what’s the guarantee that the packaged water is from a clean source? About 10-15 years back, everyone was fine drinking water from the tumbler,” explains Dr.Hema. What drove them to pursue the near zero-waste ceremony was, “That’s how it should be, meant to be! When we ask for blessings on such occasions, why leave Mother Nature out and abuse it by using disposables?”

So what were the changes incorporated?

1. No usage of paper cups: The family hired tumblers from the Namma Ooru Foundation’s (NOF) Cutlery Bank to serve beverages and water.
2. No cups for desserts: Desserts were served on banana leaf itself instead of in cups. The parent couple consciously chose desserts that weren’t runny and could be served and enjoyed on the banana leaf itself.
3. No usage of tissue paper: People dug out their handkerchiefs from the depths of their pockets and handbags to wipe their hands.
4. No decorative fancy nameboards: The attendees were welcomed by an artistically drawn announcement of the event on a blackboard and not by a fancy name board. The board itself was lent by a friend from Kasturba Nagar.
5. No fancy decoration: All decorations were done with flowers that were strung on cotton thread.
6. Left-over food was sent to NGOs. The food waste and flowers were sent for composting.
7. Cloth bags for Tamboolam: The guests were given tamboolam in unbleached cotton cloth bags. Also, it contained whole manjal (turmeric) and betel nut (gundu manjal and kottai pakku) instead of its packets.

A long list indeed needing meticulous planning! “Yes, it does require planning right now, but once it becomes a way of how things need to be done, it won’t be a ‘task’,” explains Dr.Hema as she delves into the nitty gritty of how it all took shape.

Both the families are passionate about waste management and decided to ensure that minimal waste goes to the landfills. “There were many doubts, and scepticism, but because we were committed, things just fell in place,” says Dr.Hema. The caterer and the hall owners were cooperative and were ready to incorporate any change needed for a near zero-waste event. “To compensate for the lack of tumblers with the caterers, we hired tumblers from the cutlery bank. We have to book it in advance and return them in the same condition we got them – cleaned, wiped and dried. The caterers washed and handed them over at the end of the event, and we wiped and dried them at home before returning them,” she adds.

What was the reaction from the attendees? Any embarrassing situations? “I don’t think they missed any of it. Initially, we were worried about the quality of the tumblers. To our surprise, we found them to be as good as new. Everyone enjoyed the food. Good food is important, the disposables are just frivolities that are not missed. There was no fuss in drinking from tumblers; those who didn’t carry handkerchiefs used their sarees / dupattas / pant pockets etc., for wiping,” Dr.Hema explains with a smile.

This ceremony was the second near-zero waste family event from Kasturba Nagar. In 2018, V.C.Kannan and Jayashree Kannan, conducted a near zero-waste wedding of their daughter Samyukta. 

“It was something new at that time, but we were committed to do it,” says Kannan. They coordinated with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the waste aggregator of that time to train the staff of the wedding hall, caterers and others involved, on how to segregate waste. They too used steel tumblers for serving beverages, areca plates and bagasse cups for some of the edibles and decorated the venue only with natural flowers, all of which could be composted later. The decorations also included palm hand-fans (visiri), which were subsequently given to the attendees as return gifts.

“We wanted to ensure that most of the waste generated is compostable. We segregated areca plates and bagasse cups, since GCC has a different Micro Composting Centre (MCC) for them and they thus need to go to that specific MCC. Therefore it was very essential to train all those employed / involved in the wedding to understand the nitty-gritty of waste management.”

If it was something new at that time, how did you convince the caterers about the change? “ Many do not agree, as this effort is labour intrinsic, but we were fortunate, as both – the caterer and the hall owners readily agreed. However, in an era when people are ready to spend insanely on weddings, a little more to a good cause shouldn’t matter. But one must be assertive and persistent on the intent,” says Kannan. Dr.Hema says, “Many don’t mind spending thousands on sarees and such, but will think twice to spend on a good cause. There has to be a mind-shift – loosen the pocket, just a bit, to save nature, and tighten it just a bit, when purchasing clothes / jewellery.”

Both Dr.Hema and Kannan are part of Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association (ROKA), which has been on the forefront of implementing solid waste management practices in the locality. All events conducted by ROKA are zero-waste. “At all our meetings, no packaged beverages or packed snacks are allowed. However big the gathering, we serve snacks on areca plates and beverages in steel tumblers, which we pool in from our houses,” explains Janani Venkitesh, Secretary of ROKA. In the latest event of the inauguration of a lane composter, ROKA served coconut water to all attendees, without a straw. The inauguration itself was not a ribbon cutting ceremony, but a garland cutting ceremony.

Janani also shares some of the practices that she and her team follows, every time they step out of the house. “We ALWAYS carry an extra cloth bag, a water bottle, tumbler, spoon, dabba and multiple handkerchiefs. We refuse the bottled water served at events, including weddings, and drink from our own bottle. We carry a dabba to put in edible items that we prefer to eat later,” explains Janani.

Kasturba Nagar has shown the way to how events without using disposables need not be messy and still maintain the charm. Many leaves from the solid waste management (SWM) book that  one can implement!Dr.Hema can be contacted at hemathirunarayan@gmail.com; V.C.Kannan can be contacted at 98410 18301; ROKA can be contacted at roka.drives@gmail.com.

Cutlery Bank by NOF

Namma Ooru Foundation (NOF), Thiruvanmiyur, launched its Cutlery Bank in April 2019, providing an option for people to hire steel cutlery for events, instead of opting for disposables. The bank has a stock of 200 numbers each of two varieties of: tiffin plates, cups, spoons and tumblers to rent for parties, functions in Chennai. The cutlery has to be booked at least two days in advance.

“This will result in lesser load to landfills in the form of disposables and will also indirectly contribute to water conservation as the demand for paper cups goes down. Yes, a lot of water is used in the manufacture of these cups. More than what will be required to maintain these stainless steel cutlery,” says P.Natarajan, Founder of NOF.

Now going a step further, NOF is also ready to take the compostable waste from events – big and small. The green compostable waste will be taken to the Pudupet MCC to convert it into black gold. 

“Banana leaves, flowers, vegetable and fruit peels, cooked food waste, bagasse products etc. can be bagged separately and delivered to the MCC in Pudupet for processing. There is a processing fee involved depending on the weight of the waste. 

The processing requires labour as the flower garlands will have to be manually taken apart before shredding, so that the thread doesn’t get stuck in the blades. Food waste and raw peels will need to be layered with cocopeat (to absorb moisture) so it doesn’t stink by the time it reaches the MCC. To make sure this is done properly and to oversee the bagging of all the organic matter, NOF volunteers can help,” explains Kavitha Sivakumar, a volunteer with NOF.

“Namma Ooru Namma Poruppu!” says NOF. To hire cutlery, reach Kavitha Sivakumar at 95662 60703.

An appeal by ROKA

In the midst of this festive season, members of ROKA appeal to all to shun any kind of single-use plastics even if it’s mentioned as biodegradable. “As we celebrate the Goddess this season, let’s not abuse her by using plastic items and not segregating, leading to more waste sent to landfills. Shunning plastics has to be at all levels – including not using the betel, turmeric and kumkum packet. Simply giving whole betel and turmeric is sufficient,” says Janani. 

A resident of Bhaktavatsalam Nagar, Adyar, recently reported to have found rangoli powder in the turmeric and kumkum boxes. Pointing to this instance, Janani adds, “We don’t know the authenticity of what is inside packed items, thus it is always better to go natural.”

Inaugurated by N.Mahesan, Chief Engineer (SWM and Mechanical), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and Councillor of Ward 173, Subashini Durai, each lane composter is built with a capacity to compost 750 kgs of wet waste each.

The composters, of size 4 ft * 3 ft, can process 20 – 25 kgs of wet waste per day from the three main roads of Kasturba Nagar – 2nd, 3rd and 4th Main Road.

Appreciating the concept, N.Mahesan asked the GCC officials to coordinate with the Urbaser Sumeet staff to vigorously propagate source segregation in the locality and ensure 100% segregation. “If this becomes a success, we would replicate this concept in other areas of the city as well,” he said.

“The concept of the lane composter is inspired by the model placed at HSR Layout, Bangalore, set up by SWM Round Table members. They explained to us about lane composting at a community level and shared their experiences and tips on how to sustain it,” said Janani Venkitesh, Secretary – ROKA. This project idea is part of a larger research proposal selected by NITI Aayog as one of the top 75 ideas to promote LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment), in March 2023.

There will be one composter for each street and the wet waste from the surrounding apartments / houses will be composted in it. A leaf composter has also been placed adjacent to this, to collect the dry leaves from the street, to be later used in the lane composter. The compost produced will be used by the adjacent houses for their gardens, said the team from ROKA. 

“These composters aim to divert around 2100 kg of wet waste per month, which is approximately 1% of the total biodegradable waste generated in the project area. The lane composters provide an opportunity for people to see first-hand the process of how waste turns into black gold. We hope that it also inspires more people to segregate waste and start composting in-house,” explained Janani.

In a unique gesture, the lane composters were inaugurated by cutting a garland strung in banana fibre, which won appreciations from all, “Now this too can be composted in the lane composter,” shared P.Saranya, Treasurer – ROKA, as she pointed out to a coconut vendor and said, “Instead of bottled and packaged snacks, we have bananas and coconut water for you, which you can drink without a straw or with the steel tumblers here.”

‘Punch the Plastic’ initiative inaugurated

On this occasion, N.Mahesan and Subashini Durai also inaugurated the ‘Punch the Plastic’ project in Kasturba Nagar, initiated by IIT Madras. Prof.Indumathi Nambi, Faculty advisor – Sustainable Campus Collective (IIT Madras) explained about the project, “As part of this project, selected apartments would have a hook placed in a common area within the compound and residents can punch and place the plastic waste, especially the MLP (multi-layer plastics). Once the hook is filled, it would be taken off and the plastic would be sent to industries for processing.”

MLP, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s Plastic Waste Management – 2016 Rules, is any material used for packaging and having at least one layer of plastic as the main ingredients in combination with one or more layers of materials such as paper, paper board, polymeric materials, metalized layers, or aluminium foil, either in the form of a laminate or co-extruded structure. MLP is most commonly used in packaging chips, biscuits, chocolates, etc.

Also present at the occasions were officials from Zone 13, Ward 173, Urbaser Sumeet, and members of Okapi Research and Advisory and Care Earth Trust.

ROKA can be contacted at roka.drives@gmail.com.